Rune's Quest for Peace
by Vuirneen
Summary: All Rune wants is a little quiet time. Life as a Dragon Knight really interferes with that, along with Rath and Thatz.
1. The Joys Of Meditation Can Be Yours

I don't need another story, but last weekend, I went home, with no access to a computer and no notes printed. So even though I had my stories on disc, I couldn't do any work on them. So I started this one. It's a possible one of three linked stories. Guess the titles of the other two. 

Anyway, this is my first story focusing on the Dragon Knights. Setting, is sort of pre-horribly-angsty Rath.

No pairings, it's pure adventure.

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The water rippled, surged and waves crashed onto the banks of the pond. The blonde ignored it all, his hands loosely resting on his crossed legs, his stiff back attempting to radiate oneness with all things. The agitated water continued to thrash and small bubbles formed on the bottom of the pool, as the voices grew louder. Two indistinct figures emerged from the tree-line and after a whispered conversation, a small boulder was launched. It whistled past the unheeding blonde and plunged into the pond. The resulting splash sounded like a mountain had fallen and steam rose from the wound left by the rock. The water didn't settle, it swirled round and round, bubbling furiously and hissing sibilantly, until the force provided by the water, forced the rock out again. It landed ten metres from the shadowy pair and broke into fragments that scorched the wood, grass and ground. The figures screamed, as scalding dust covered them.

_Hi there, My name's Rune and I'm a Dragon Knight. It doesn't involve as much fighting as you'd think, mostly because one of my partners calls dibs on all the demons we meet. He's one of the screaming twosome, rolling in the grass right now. The other's called Thatz. Surprisingly, he can cause just as much trouble for us as Rath. He used to be a thief and I'm not sure if he ever, officially, gave up that profession. Let's just say that a lot of treasure ends up in his pockets. Honestly, I think his lust for gold rivals Rath's lust for demon slaughter. Rath's complicated._

I've seen my future. When I grow up, well, older, if those two don't die horrible, in ironic situations, then I'm going to turn into Alfeegi. Who's Alfeegi? He's someone I don't want to be. Dragons normally live long lives, but I think that Alfeegi may actually explode some day soon. So, I need to accept my companions madness with grace and decorum. I need complete oneness with the universe and I need it fast! 

"Rune! We thought you'd never wake up!" 

Their false concern was truly touching. Rune waited until Rath and Thatz reached the pool, before responding. Shouting is not conducive to transcendental oneness. _(Transcendental Oneness and You! page 5)_

"I wasn't asleep. I was meditating," he said quietly, "as I have been, every day since we returned to the castle."

The wind ruffled appreciatively through his hair, rippling it, like seaweed in an underwater current. Rune's smug sense of mystic connection was soon shot down by Rath.

"You may think it's all right to snooze all day, but even Lykouleon's suggested that you're too rusty to go on our next mission," he said scornfully.

Rune's heart leapt at the thought of being left behind. Sure, there was a twinge that his skills were being maligned. Sure, no-one likes their liege lord suggesting that they're too lazy, to carry out their duties properly. Sure, none of them understood that realising the essential nature of being, would whomp up his magical control of water and lead to a healthier life and a better person. But, a whole month without Thatz? Without Rath?

"Don't worry," he said, clapping him on the back. "We told Lykouleon that we wouldn't go without you."  
"'He may not be much cop in a fight,' we said, 'but his good looks have shaved the cost of our meals and board and that's got to have some value,'" Thatz added, beaming. "Alfeegi couldn't agree fast enough."

The water blurbled. _"Let the words of others not harm you, for their opinions are as pigs in hay." (Ease stress with Pao Tzu, page 35)_

"Oh really?" said Rune, his shoulders slumped. "When're we going?" he sighed.

Rath and Thatz eyed each other, before Rath spoke. "You might have time to pack, if you run. Tetheus's meeting us by the North Gate in half an hour."

A mini-whirlpool formed in the centre of the pool. It whirled across the surface, sucking in a water-spider and an unfortunate toad, before petering out. The surface remained uneasy, after its passing and several more threatened to break out. Rune looked skyward, his fingers pressed closely together and unheard words hissing out of his clenched teeth.

"Rune?" Thatz asked tremulously.  
"Okay!" Rune answered, far too loudly. "Half an hour? No problem! I'm sure it'll be ... great! Looking forward to it. Lovely! I'll go pack, shall I?"

Bubbles began to form once more.

"Great!" Rath clapped him on the back. "Only you'd better hurry. We'll meet you there."  
"No problem," he hissed. "Great"

The water surged and calmed as Rune ran off. Rath and Thatz watched him, completely missing the return of flies, toads and waterfowl to the previously agitated pond. A small otter slid in for a nice cooling swim and various insects pottered about its grassy bank.

"Do you think we should have told him, that we've actually got an hour and a half?" Thatz asked.  
"Nah," said Rath. "You know how long it takes him to pack." 


	2. Desperate Flight

Welcome to Chapter 2 of _Rune's Quest for Peace_. There are two other stories that follow this timeline, but from alternate points of view and along different paths. They are _Rath's Quest for Demons_ and _Thatz's Quest for Food_. The style of each is different, but if you like this one, you may want to check them out. They will be updated in this order: Rune; Rath; Thatz;

Rune's Quest is the most wordy and the hardest to write for. Mostly because editing sucks so much of my energy. Anyway, enjoy.  
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The grassy path recoiled under Rune's foot and rebounded, springing him up into the air. The broken blades and trampled flowers left in his wake shook slightly in the breeze caused by his passing. He pumped his arms frantically, running like a demon to make the rendezvous. Running alone.

_I can't believe that Rath and Thatz dumped me in it. They just waved as I sped off. They're not running as desperately as I am. They're not running at all._

His pounding pace faltered.

_Why aren't they running?_

He skidded to a halt, crumpling several daisies and a colony of marigolds. Rune turned then and peered back towards the pond, but the intervening foliage obscured his fellow Dragon Knights.

_They said they were packed, but they'd no bags with them. Even if they're waiting in their rooms, they'd never pick them up and make it to the North Gate in only half an hour, it's too far._

He dithered, torn between nagging his friends and the growing sense of urgency. The deep sound of a tolling bell, reverberating through the gardens, interrupted him and focused his distracted state. He abandoned his fretting and fled back to the castle, crushing a delicate seedling and narrowly missing an oblivious snail. A vague mist arose in his trail, then settled, leaving a second dew on the ground.

Servants, dragon fighters and sight-seers, waved and leapt aside as he raced through the castle. While they wondered at the chill from the sudden sweat that dampened their clothing, Rune sped to his room. He wrenched the door open and fell inside, his eyes darting about the room, as he worked out what he'd need for the journey. He saw his cloth bag, pounced on it and jerked it open. He raided clean clothing from his wardrobe and tossed his hair-care products and other toiletries inside with it. At the top, in easy reach, he placed three books, the inspirations to the new, calmer, happier Rune. _Transcendental Oneness and You!_, _Meditation in Three Easy Steps_ and _Ease Stress with Pao Tzu_. They were all well-thumbed, even though the pages were still freshly white.

Rune shouldered his heavy bag and ran out, without a backward glance. His lucky, silver go-go remained on his dresser, unregarded and forgotten, along with his toothbrush.

His pace slackened noticeably, under the stern heat of the sun, now almost directly over-head. He urged his weakened muscles to pull together, for just a little while longer and wobbled through the baking streets of the dusty town. The locals gave him a wide berth, staring curiously at this idiot, running pell-mell, under the midday heat. The noon bell rang out, while he had still a considerable distance to go. He spurred his flagging feet onwards, counting the number of steps to each clang, desperate to avoid the scorn of a Dragon Officer, especially one as uptight as Tetheus. He finally turned the corner to the North Gate approach and raised a weary hand of apology to the waiting group.

The tourists waved back.

He paused, the wind whipping his hair up into his face and the sweat draining down his back and into a nearby grate. His gaze swept the area. No sign of Rath, no view of Thatz and no sight of Tetheus.

The tourists called their friends over and more of their group waved to Rune.

_Have they gone without me? Couldn't they have waited even five minutes?_ he thought, resting against a nearby wall. _What'll the Dragonlord say? _ He slumped slightly as his agonised muscles called for a rest.

The tourists, now gesturing madly and with the whole group involved, called out to Rune. Curious, tired, disappointed and emotionally drained, he wandered dejectedly over to them.

"Hey there, son," said the largest and fattest of them, as he approached. "I'm glad you're finally here. We've been waiting at least an hour and our cases are heavy."  
"I'm sorry?" exclaimed Rune, with a puzzled tone.  
"That's okay, son," said the speaker. "I was just worried that we'd have to shunt them to the hotel, all by ourselves. I thought the carriage'd take us right up to the door, but Elsie, she said, "I don't think this looks like the Dragon's Head Inn. Where's the patio from the picture?" She's right of course. Notices more than my old eyes do." A petite and shrewish woman in the group blushed. Her clothing matched the garish colours of the group-leader. He clapped Rune on the back and continued his explanation. "I said that you'd be expecting us and that if we didn't show, you'd send someone to find us. I actually expected you to meet us, when the carriage came in, but I guess we were early or something." He spun Rune, presenting him to the group. "Now everyone ... ooh, what's your name, son?"  
"Rune," said Rune.  
"Everyone, this is our holiday representative, Rune. If you've any questions at all, don't be shy to ask him. He's a little fellow, so make sure you don't miss him." The group of roughly twenty people stared at Rune, committing his features to their memories.

"Holiday? Oh, no. I'm a Dragon Knight!" Rune said, spreading his hands and attempting to back away.

The tourist firmly grabbed him and displayed him proudly to his group again. "Hear that, everyone? We've got our own Dragon Knight taking care of us, for the holiday." He emphasised the words "Dragon Knight" and Rune's knees started to quiver.  
"I really am," he said quietly and the leader patted him kindly and gave him a friendly wink.  
"It's not far is it, son?" he asked. "Only Grandma can't carry her bags too far and she overpacked, as usual."  
"It's not far," said Rune, without thinking. When he saw the light in their eyes spark up, he felt sorry for them. _Poor things, it is their holiday, after all and it's not as if I've anything else to do. I might as well help them out. That's what a Dragon Knight is for, after all._ "Hang on a second and put down your cases. I'll see what I can do."

He walked over to the stall of a nearby trader and asked her if he could borrow her produce cart.

"I'll bring it back quickly," he promised.  
"No problem, Mr. Rune," she piped up. "Of course you can have it."

He thanked her kindly, grabbed the cart and steered it back to the Gate. The tourists smiled and piled all their baggage onto it. When it was full, Rune couldn't even see over the top. The leader put a final, heavy case on top, crushing several smaller ones and grinned broadly.

"We're all set now, son. Lead on."

_Lead on?_ An overwhelmed Rune stared blankly at him. The over-weight sight-seer nodded towards the cart, when he made no move. Rune's shoulders dropped as he grasped the handles, strained against the weight and pushed the cart, muscles popping and legs complaining even harder than they had during his run. The swaying pile of luggage trundled slowly through the town, shedding small bags, hats and coats, which were quickly piled back on, by the children of the tourists. The group followed Rune's slow tread, in an elongated line that stretched all the way back to the Gate. Traffic paused as they passed, since they took up the entire road. Locals had to wait for them to wash past, rather like a herd of cattle on a rural road. The painful journey finally ended outside the Dragon's Head Inn, where the baggage, not expecting the sudden stop, gently tipped, then toppled over, onto the ground. The group-leader turned to Rune with pursed lips, when two brown-clad men ran out of the hotel.

"It's them!" one shouted into the inn. He then picked up some cases and rushed inside. His companion followed suit. While the group milled around outside, the stragglers catching up, a prosperous-looking man tumbled out, with a youthful companion dressed in a bright green jacket. The young man held a stick with a sign attached. As it twirled in his hand, Rune could read _Guide_ on one side and _Follow Me_ on the other. Both men visibly relaxed when they saw the group and strode up to Rune.

"You're the Vanhall group?" asked the older gentleman. At Mr. Vanhall's nod, he continued. "I'm the proprietor of the Dragon's Head Inn, Mr. Mackam. Please come inside and my staff will take your bags."

He led the group inside, his young friend smiling at the group and gesturing them inside. When the final few reached the door, he noticed Rune, slumped over the rapidly emptying cart and approached him.

"Sir, could you please enter with the rest of your group? We've a light lunch prepared."

Rune raised his head to protest, when the guide took a double take.

"Rune? Mr. Rune?" he exclaimed. He took a step towards the hotel and called "It's Mr. Rune!" to the people inside. He then turned to the exhausted Water Knight. "Thank you, Mr. Rune. Thank you for looking after them. We were really getting worried. It's our first package holiday," he blathered. "Please come inside and eat something, for your trouble. Let us look after you."

Rune stumbled inside, on the grateful guy's arm and sank into a comfortable armchair, from which he was toasted, wined and dined. He settled happily down with a glass of deep red and the warm knowledge that people are rewarded for their kind hearts.

- - 

"He's really a Dragon Knight? Quick, get someone to paint our picture with him. This is the best holiday ever."  
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There was supposed to be an implied continuity between these stories and _Inside Tetheus's Head_, but since I've just realised what the Knights are going to be sent off to do in that series, any continuity has gone out the window.

Whatever you think about this story, please review and let me know.


	3. Knives In The Dark

Yes it has been that long between updates, explanation at the end of the fic. Anyway, we're halfway through, so it's time for a set-piece.

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The lurching of the wagon disturbed Rune greatly. Step One of _Meditation in Three Easy Steps_ clearly stated that a comfortable place to sit was essential to achieving the proper, meditative state. The rolling of the wagon just didn't settle into any sort of rhythm and the frequent bone-jarring jolts as yet another stone was squashed by the wheels of the rickety wagon, left Rune feeling queasy. He tried his hardest, but shutting his eyes amplified his other senses and Rune's disquiet grew.

Once again, Rune closed his eyes, leant back and with all the determination in his heart, emptied his mind. Out went Rath's far too vocal voice. It seemed to have grown in volume recently and it really hurt Rune's ears. Out went Thatz's envious glares. Really, he just didn't understand how awful those people were. So he missed a meal, he really ate far too much and if he'd a little less larcenous energy... _Step Two... Empty your mind. _Rune exhaled deeply, then limbered up his arms, readying himself for another try.

He tumbled over as a jolt from what must have been a boulder wracked the wagon.

"This is ridiculous," he said, righting himself. "How can I achieve any kind of rest in a jittery old thing like this?"

Another forceful shudder shook Rune and he stood up, bending over at the waist. With his feet wide apart and his hands holding onto the wooden braces, he slowly made his way towards the wagon seat.

He poked his head out of the canvas and greeted Hargrun, his wife Laine and the small baby cradled in her arms.

"Thanks again for letting me rest in your wagon. I'm sorry to put you and your family out, sir," he said to the smiling man.

"Don't worry, Mr. Rune," the man said, as he flicked the reins at his horse. "The girls are having fun talking to your two friends."

"Did you get enough sleep back there, Rune?" asked Laine.

"Unfortunately, I am still a student of this discipline," said Rune, grimacing and turning pale as he clambered onto the hard, wooden seat. "I found it difficult to achieve the restful mind necessary for meditation."

"Oh well, now that you're up, I guess we can pick up the pace a bit." With that, Hargrun urged his horse to catch up with the rest of the wagon train, just disappearing around the next corner.

Rune's stomach lurched. His new friend hadn't been a wagon driver for long and Rune clutched tightly to the wagon seat and prayed that he'd meet up with another set of wagoneers and have a more comfortable ride the next day.

The train stopped for the night in a large glade a few metres from the road. There were relatively few areas in the forest that would accommodate even a handful of wagons and Hargrun had worried that they wouldn't make it to a clearing before dark, though that was no excuse for driving like a demon. Rune waved to him before staking a claim for the rest of his party in the campsite. He'd managed to get a small fire going when he was joined by Thatz and Rath.

"It's your turn to cook, Rune," said Thatz, tossing some wizened vegetables to him.

Rune eyed them critically. "You want me to cook with those? Are you sure they're safe to eat?"

"It was the best I could scrounge up from the rest of the camp," glowered Thatz. "I couldn't get anything from the castle's kitchens before I left."

"I warned you that your raids would have consequences," murmured Rath.

"Yeah, yeah," grumbled Thatz. "Hindsight has perfect vision and all that. If you don't like it, then go buy some food from one of the traders. You'll find their rates this far from town to be very unreasonable."

"What'll we do after we eat?" asked Rune, fishing out some pots from his satchel and filling them from his canteen.  
"Go to sleep," said Tetheus, emerging from the shadows. "I'll keep watch tonight."

"There should be good craic tonight. I was looking forward to a few chats and songs by the fires," said Thatz, trying to take his arrival in stride.

"You mean gambling," interrupted Rune, bashing the pots together, bubbling water spilling out as he laid them by the fire.

"Now, Rune," Thatz said, a twinkle in his eye. "What would teamsters know about gambling?"

Rune awoke from a garbled dream where Pao Tzu was dancing with a chicken and explaining that meditation wasn't as important as egg yolk. Rune was waltzing with a demon and was swept away before Pao Tzu got around to explaining why.

"Rune!"

He sat up and looked in Rath's face. It had the strangely hysterical and darkly disturbing glint that he usually got when ... The sounds of the camp waking up almost disguised the clash of swords. Almost, but not quite.

"Wake Thatz," Rath hissed, creeping away from the fire. His sword was already in his hand and Fire was perched on his shoulder. "I'm going to help."

Rune jumped up and grabbed him before he disappeared.

"Don't use Fire," he exclaimed.

"Why not?" asked Rath, confused.

"Look around you," said Rune. "These wagons are flammable. The entire camp could go up if you start throwing flame around."

Rath's face fell, but he nodded and stalked off.

"What's happening?" yawned Thatz, struggling out of his bed. "I was at a party with cake and ..."

"We're under attack," said Rune. "Get ready. I'll go check on Hargrun and his family and then I'll meet up with you."

"Okay," agreed Thatz, clambering to his feet.

The camp was in a state. Screams, flames, the clashes of swords and the hideous laughter of demons filled a confused and violent aura. Rune tripped over broken equipment and stumbled past damaged wagons, scarred deeply by parried slashes and dripping a hideous ichor, a mixture of blood and ooze. Despite the sounds of panicked combat he saw nothing but shadows and fallen corpses. The flaring light from misbehaving campfires blinded his eyes and shifted the landscape into something alien.

He barely sensed the first attack. A sword suddenly appeared in front of him; a wild swing from a demon drunk with battle and especially careless. Rune jerked out his own blade and stabbed him through the heart, or what passed for one, before he could correct his error. Rune grimaced at the ichor from its body and holding the sword low, he ran on. Meanwhile, the sticky goop ran off the steel like quicksilver, leaving it clean and pure.

A lurking guide-rope trapped Rune's feet and sent him sprawling. He planted his hands under him and began to leap to his feet, when he saw a pair of staring eyes from under a nearby cart. Rune grabbed his sword and the eyes disappeared with a squeal.

Rune gained his feet and scanned for an ambush, but saw nothing. He crouched down and approached the cart, his blade ready to strike anything that attacked him. The gloom was almost complete and he took a quick breath before ducking his head underneath. His eyes adjusted to the sight of a boot scrabbling away from him.

"Wait!" he called. "I'm not a demon!"

The boot stopped and shuffled around to reveal a shoulder, then a head.

"Mr. Rune?" came a quavering voice. "Thank goodness, I thought we were in trouble, for sure."

"Hargrun?" asked Rune.

"Yes," the wagon-driver replied. "We crawled under here when the alarm went off. It may not appear noble, but at least we're safe."

"You did the right thing," Rune said reassuringly. He looked at the rusty sword clutched in Hargrun's hand. It looked as though it wouldn't survive one strike against a blood-thirsty demon, let alone protect the family of frightened humans. "Stay here and keep hidden and I'll fight anything that comes this way."

"Is Rune hiding with us?" said little Marcy, the youngest girl.

"I am, Marcy," he said softly, hugging her with his free hand.

Though it was peaceful under the cart - Laine and Hargrun had piled boxes and sacks around the cart, hiding their family from danger - violence spread throughout the camp. Booted feet ran past and the horrible sounds of pain and death rang out and echoed in Rune's ears. People died and he hid, yet every time he thought to leave, he felt Marcy's body tremble and he stayed where he was. If anything happened to them, if Rune couldn't protect five people, his heart would break. And so Rune did nothing and betrayed the camp.

Then he heard a sound he did recognise, a pattern of clashes and yells that were uniquely Rath's.

Carefully, Rune crawled to the edge of the hidey-hole and peeked out between two of the boxes. The coast was clear so he pulled himself out and crouched beside a nearby wagon. Rath's grunts had grown quieter, which meant that he'd moved farther away. Before heading after him, Rune checked his escape route; nothing was visible through the boxes: the family was safe.

He sped through the campsite, jumping over bodies without a second glance, feeling vulnerable every moment that his charges were unprotected. He rounded a wagon and found Rath stabbing a twisted, shadowy yokai and preparing to run after its twin.

"Rath, wait!" Rune yelled, running up to him.

As Rath turned a demon materialised by his feet and struck upwards, shadowy fingers elongating into dark claws. Seeming not to notice, Rath left his sword arm drop, the arc nicely chopping off the demon's hands.

"Rune, what... nevermind, I have demons to slaughter," he said, turning away from the Water Dragon Knight.

"Wait," said Rune, hopping over the bodies, frantically waving his arms to keep his balance when he landed awkwardly. Rath waited for him to catch up, his foot twitching. Rune panted once, then launched into his spiel. "Hargrun, Laine and their children are hiding under a caravan," he waved back the way he'd come, "over there. I promised to guard them, but now I've found you, you can do it and I can help everyone else."

Rath blinked. "Go back that way? But I've killed everything that way."

"More demons will turn up, Rath. They don't stay in one spot."

Rath shook his head and thrust his sword in a different direction. "Listen, that's where the demons are. If I go back, I'll get to kill at most another five, there's twenty that way _already_."

"Rath," Rune begged. "I can't leave them on their own. If anything happens they'll be slaughtered."

"Then run back to them," he replied, turning away.

Rune grabbed onto him. "I can't." His voice failed him and he tugged at Rath's shirt until he could force the words out again. "I can't stay with them. There are twenty wagons in this camp. Each wagon has at least three people and they're dying." Rath shuddered as Rune pleaded, his voice quavering. "You can't heal them, Rath, but I can. I can really help. I can save lives, but not if I have to protect a whole family. You have to go back so that I can use my healing magic, faerie magic. I won't be able to live with myself if there's a camp full of human bodies tomorrow; it won't matter how many demon ones lie beside them."

Rath sighed and his shoulders slumped. He looked toward his original destination, then back at Rune and glared. "Okay, but you have to scare as many demons as possible in my direction."

"I promise," Rune said, smiling in relief. He wiped his eyes before running off.

The bulk of the fighting was taking place around some encircled wagons: Rune didn't know whose they were. The desperate humans were holding off the demons, but their strength was waning. Rune ran to their aid, but tripped over several fallen corpses, the faces of the dead still grimacing with hate and fury.

The light from a random flare illuminated his pratfall and a handful of demons broke off from the main attack to take care of this new threat. Rune jumped up as the first claw swiped out, raising a welt, but not doing any serious damage. He backed off, taking slow steps, as they tried to encircle him. Every pace took him from the fading fighters; Rune took a deep breath, watching the sniggering demons as their forms shifted in the firelight.

When he bumped up against the wooden side of a cart, they launched an attack. Rune parried furiously, swinging his sword and hard-pressed to block each attack. A high blow from the tree-demon met his blade, but the sword's momentum was too great to alter in time to meet the spindly yokai's swipe - Rune had to swerve in order to dodge that one, which left him open at his back. Fire sliced down his spine as a half-sensed shadow danced in and cut him. The blood clotted immediately, although the pain remained.

After the initial rush Rune calmed down. Only one of the demons had a blade - with the extra reach he had, the Dragon Knight should be able to hold them at bay if he was careful and so he started to breathe according to one of the patterns in _Ease Stress with Pao Tzu_. He held his blade lightly, doing just enough to block the attacks, but no more so that he had plenty of time to parry the swipe from the demon on his right - enough time to open a streaming cut of darkest ichor and still sweep to his left and disarm the shadow. He fell back with a cry and the spindly demon, thinking that Rune was distracted, rushed in. Rune dropped to one knee and stabbed him through the chest, then pressed his advantage against the tree-demon. Unused to fighting alone, he fell swiftly and Rune rushed to the tired humans, already chanting a healing spell.

He released his first spell on a man who was falling backwards with a knife embedded in his chest. As the magic took effect, Rune yanked it out and threw it back into the yokai mass. The second man he tried to help shook his head while dodging blades, claws and teeth and shouted "Inside the boundary! Help them." Rune nodded and leapt over an over-turned cart, into the eerie peace at the circle's centre. One dead body, no more than a boy, lay on the ground, but so did several breathing ones, the rattle of air in their lungs louder almost than the screams from outside. Rune healed them all. Every casualty that could stand ran back into the fray and sent their comrades to Rune's gentle touch and the energy to fight on.

The tide turned during the night. Fear and terror are the main weapons of demons and with Rune on their side, the travellers never lost heart. As fighters mopped up the remaining demons in the camp, the injured staggered into Rune's circle: some leaving healthier than they'd been in years. The work was tiring, but joyful and eventually the injuries he tended became less and less serious until Thatz swaggered in, holding up a limping Rath.

"Tetheus is missing," he said with a cheery grin. "I searched the camp and I can't see him anywhere."

"You don't think they killed him, do you?" Rune spluttered, gesturing awkwardly to the milling crowd, still alert and with weapons drawn. "He is quite demonish, after all and they may have mistaken him in the heat of battle."

Rath dropped onto the ground with a thump. "You seriously don't think that anyone here could take him on, Rune." He lifted his shirt and exposed a nasty gash. "Besides, look at Thatz. He's dying to spill something."

Thatz laughed. "Okay, you'll never guess what I saw! Well... heard!"

The other two stared at him, while Rune summoned up the energy to tend to Rath.

"He's meeting a girl!" he stated proudly. The grin widened. "Tetheus, is meeting a girl! Tetheus!"

"Are you sure?" asked Rune. "I didn't think he was that type."

"I thought he was asexual," said Rath with an open mouth.

"Wonders will never cease," sighed Rune. "There you go."

Rath poked at his side and then lowered his shirt with a nod to Rune. "Tetheus." He shrugged. "I know that he wasn't going to go with us all the way, but I would have expected him to say goodbye."

"If it's a really pretty girl then I could understand," snickered Thatz.

"Me too," sighed Rune.

Rath stared at them. "I can't. Who'd dump their friends for a girl?"

Thatz clapped him on the back. "One day you'll understand. Anyhow, we'd better go get some sleep: there'll be more wagoning in the morning."

Rune groaned.

"Don't worry Rune," Thatz said again. "I know that you're wrecked, but I'm sure that we can find at least one wagon that isn't too badly damaged for you to rest in."

"Maybe even one with all four wheels intact," Rath smirked.

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oOo

I started writing this on the first of December, 2004 and I've been fighting it pretty much since. This fic suffered horribly from a block: I had the plot worked out to more detail than usual for me and I was forcing the characters. Because of that I couldn't write. I eventually worked out what I was doing wrong, deleted the forced bit and sat back and watched Rune and Rath do their thing. Everything flowed again and I was able to finish this off.

I also had to write a fourth thread to get the basic plan down properly. That story won't be released until well after the three serieses are finished because I'll need a lot of help with it and will be claiming a beta from dkbetas, the livejournal community. That's if one agrees, otherwise you won't see it.

This fic is notable for having the most action of anything that I've written to date. - I have to learn how to do it right sometime.

Oh yes, review now!


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